Since before the Christian era
Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day
Was celebrated far and wide
And was originally a pagan holiday
Changing seasons was a struggle
Between Jarilo the God of brightness
Vegetation, fertility and springtime
And the evil spirits of cold and darkness
So, they had to help the God Jarilo
And victory meant spring had begun
So, they cooked and ate pancakes
Hot and round symbolizing the sun
Since before the Christian era
Shrove Tuesday or
Pancake Day
Was celebrated far and
wide
And was originally a
pagan holiday
Changing seasons was a
struggle
Between Jarilo the God
of brightness
Vegetation, fertility
and springtime
And the evil spirits
of cold and darkness
So, they had to help the
God Jarilo
And victory meant
spring had begun
So, they cooked and
ate pancakes
Hot and round symbolizing
the sun
Saint David was born in the 5th century
A scion of the royal
house of Ceredigion,
And founded a Celtic
Monastic order,
At Glyn Rhosyn, the
Vale of Roses,
Which became an
important Christian shrine
Where St David's
Cathedral stands today
The feast day of Saint David
Is Wales’s National Day
When the Welsh people
Celebrate Saint David's Day
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Merry Monday, is a Christian observance
Which more importantly precedes Pancake Day
Black Monday or Shrove Monday evening
Was a time for boys to commit petty crime
Now we don’t have it on one special night
Instead now it appears to happen all the time
The third day of Shrovetide,
Once known as Collopy Monday,
Was named after Collops of bacon
A traditional dish of the day
Which was served with eggs.
It’s the forgotten Shrove Monday
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Shrove Monday, is a Christian observance
Which more importantly precedes Pancake Day
The last mythological muse
Urania, muse of
astrology
Foreteller of the
future
By the stars array
Dressed in a cloak
Embroidered with stars
Holding a globe in her
left hand
Always looking to the
heavens
a goddess of universal
love
And possessed with the
holy spirit
The Renaissance Urania
Was muse to the
Christian poets
And still gazed to the
heavens
But saw God amongst
the stars
Part of the traditional English Shrovetide
Falling on the Monday before Ash Wednesday
Rose Monday, is a Christian observance
Which more importantly precedes Pancake Day
Hall Monday or Shrove Monday evening
Was a time for boys to commit petty crime
Now we don’t have it on one special night
Instead now it appears to happen all the time
Little Grace sat hugging her granddad
“Did God make you granddad”?
She said
As she stroked his old,
wrinkled face
Then ran her fingers
across his balding head
“Yes, sweetheart God
did make me”
Then she touched her
own face
“And did God make me
too”?
“Yes, God made you too
my little Grace”
She thought for a
moment then said
“Well in that case
then I guess
God must have fixed
the problems
In the manufacturing
process”
Our genes are passed on
To subsequent
generations
Our complete genetic
make up
Quirks, foibles, and
pre dispositions
Parts of us are
forever preserved
Due to the wonder of
genetics
And we can see in our
off spring,
Our own distinct
characteristics
Through this miracle
of procreation
The genes will even
carry
From generation to
generation
The basic instincts in
Genetic memory
What a pity that God
omitted
When he created Adam
The most important
genes of all
The ones to carry
wisdom
Oh guardian angel
Please watch over me
It would be a comfort
To feel the guarantee
That should I go
astray
Watching over me
You would be there
To guide me back to
safety
(\
/)
( \__ / )
( \()/ )
( / \ )
( / \/ \ )
/ \
( )
( ____ )
The Saints and the Angels
Watch over us all the
year round
You never know they
are there
For they never make a
sound
But they are there
nonetheless
Watching over us
everyday
And they are there to
listen
When you have a need to
pray
And should some weary
soul
Let slip their earthly
bonds
They have angelic
company
On their way to the
great beyond
When you look out
Across the cityscape
The first impression
is one of planning
With order and method
A systematic landscape
Above a thriving
community
Running as a well
oiled machine
Every element doing
its part
A symbiotic
relationship
Every person a cog in
the machine
A perpetual entity
Evolving and changing
Redesigning itself
Outside the
conurbation
As if in stark
contrast
The country side and
nature
Appear chaotic and
haphazard
Without order or
method
Simple and ordinary
Lacking the
sophistication of civilization
But in reality the
urbanites live in chaos
Dysfunctional and
self-destructive
While in nature there
is structure and order
And the closer you
observe it
The more of its
complexities
And intricate
structures are revealed
Everything precision engineered
With order and purpose
Every organism
contains nature’s code
The building blocks of
our world
And of our universe
True sophistication
exists at every level
Complex and
extraordinary
So let man builds his
cities
While God builds
everything else
Calling all you Angels
Amidst the heavenly
host
Come in the name of
God,
Father, Son and Holy
Ghost
Answer the clarion
call
Of the sombre Last
Post
And take the fallen
hero
Amidst the heavenly
host
All across the globe
They are seen together
On every continent
And in every weather
The Christian cross
And the pagan tree
To celebrate the birth
Of Christianity
They follow their hearts
A congregation of one
accord
Singing the heartfelt
lyrics
To make sweet music to
the lord
On the distant horizon
The embers of the dawn
Brightly glow
As God blows gentle
breath
Upon the glowing coals
And lights up another
day
In the gathering of hopeful hearts
The flame of peace
does thrive
A flame whose embers
glowed
When my granddad was
still alive
The lads and pals in
distant lands
To a man did purposely
strive
They kept that tiny
ember tended
To ensure that it
would survive
And many a lad
remained forever
To keep the flame of peace alive
Cross of the living God
Shine light into the
darkness
To every corner of the
globe
Embellishing the
starkness
Cross of the living
God
Keep us safely in your
light
Protect us every
waking hour
And watch us through
the night
Prayers were sung
To the Heavens high
Then the
angel told
The messiah
was nigh
And a
light of peace
Entered
men’s hearts
Love
filled the world
To herald a new start
Gliding in descent
On gossamer wings
The angel of the lord
Rejoicing sings
A child is born
The King of Kings
Cross of the living god
Shine into the
darkness
Keep us safe in your
light
And you will always
bless
Because you’re always
there
Answering all my
Prayer
Gentle Jesus, Gentle
God
The dove of peace
Flying on lordly wings
Delivered an olive
branch
Which delivered the
world
Is it the anger of petulant Gods?
In their Olympian
Penthouse
Exploding their
volcanic wrath
Down a molten hillside
Or an angry planet
From deep within
Trying to cleanse the
earth
Of it’s unworthy
guardians
The atheist spent his whole life
Denying the existence
of a deity
Preached to all who
would listen
The atheist thoughts
of his reality
He even stated that
the universe
Was created quite
accidently
Even on his final day
on earth
He was content there
was no deity
But a moment before he
crashed
He cried out “oh God
help me”
A song to sing in heaven
Where the holy angel’s
tread
So sang my heart in
joy
The word of God was
spread
Cross of the living God
Cast your gentle
shadow
Keep us safe within
its lee
And I will always know
You will answer my
Prayer
Because you’re always
there
Gentle Jesus, Gentle
God
